Your house is a unique place. It protects and safeguards you and your family.
Investing in a solid home security system provides the safety your home requires and helps your home perform even better.
House security systems safeguard your home and family against a variety of risks by keeping an eye out for things like burglary, fire, floods, suspicious behavior, and more.
Did you know according to SafeAtLast, 60% of US household members feel safe with professional home security systems in their homes.
The top home security firms give the safety that their customers want without forcing them to pay for things that they do not require.
Every home does not need the same type of protection or even the same style of security. How do you find a suitable home security company?
Analyzing Costs
There are various factors to consider when calculating the cost of a home security system: equipment, installation, activation fees, monitoring fees, and any hidden expenses.
The cost of equipment will differ significantly from one supplier to the next and from one package to the next.
To discover the ideal match, you should balance your budget with your priorities.
Some carriers, but not all, impose an activation fee in addition to the upfront equipment cost. Prepare to pay a charge if you opt to have your system professionally installed.
Some companies give professional monitoring, while others solely provide DIY monitoring. With monthly monitoring programs, suppliers often provide different degrees of protection.
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Consider Your Requirements
Some home security systems demand that you sign long-term contracts that might last up to three years. Others demand short-term contracts or none at all.
If you plan on moving or don’t want to commit long-term, this might be advantageous.
All in all, you need to sign a contract, and that contract will have different requirements depending on the company.
Integration to Smart Homes
You can link third-party smart home gadgets such as the Nest thermostat, Kwikset smart lock, Philips Hue smart light, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and others with some home security systems.
Home automation may be both convenient and cost-effective. Home automation allows you to tailor controls to your preferences.
You may, for example, arrange your thermostat to regulate itself every morning as you leave for work.
If you already own one of these smart-home gadgets or you will purchase one, you might want to find a company that will do these integrations.
DIY Vs. Professional Installation
Some home security companies offer DIY options, while others offer professional installation or both.
Here is what you should know about both that will help you in choosing the right home security company for yourself:
DIY installation
DIY installation requires you to install the security system all by yourself.
However, companies that offer DIY installation also offer security products that come with stick-on and manual guides.
This makes the installation process very easy. However, the company may or may not offer professional monitoring in this case.
But DIY installation costs way less and is good for people who are on a tight budget.
Professional Installation
Professional Installation is mostly required for wired home security systems but is not exclusive to them.
In this type of setup, a professional is sent by the company, which takes you through every step in the installation process and explains how things work.
Companies offering professional installation ideally offer monitoring plans as well, which you may or may not choose to buy.
Although professional installation takes away a lot of work, it costs more than DIY installation.
Monitoring
Another important factor to consider while choosing a home security system is the monitoring options.
There is mainly DIY and Professional monitoring options and this is how they differ from each other:
Professional Monitoring
As the name suggests, professional monitoring offers 24×7 protection from professionals.
In this, as soon as an alarm is triggered, the control center gets notified, and they investigate and send help to your house if needed.
Professional monitoring offers peace of mind, but you need to pay a monthly fee for it.
DIY or Self Monitoring
As the name suggests, in this type of monitoring, you monitor your house and take responsibility for keeping yourself and your family safe.
This does not cost anything but comes with a lot of responsibility.
What Type of Equipment You’ll Need?
Some companies let you lease equipment, while others only let you buy it. Other companies will let you choose between the two.
If your equipment needs wiring, this is an important consideration. A wireless system is an excellent solution if you plan to relocate or have pets or young children who could accidentally interfere with the equipment.
Connection Needs
You’ll need a connection to the center if you pick professional monitoring. Landline, broadband, and cellular are the three types of connections available.
Landline
The provider utilizes the home’s landline connection to inform the monitoring center of an alarm when using a landline.
Connecting to a landline is the cheapest choice, but it’s also the most vulnerable. If the line is damaged, you no longer have a connection to the monitoring center.
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Broadband
You can utilize a broadband connection to communicate with the monitoring center if you have high-speed internet. If the power goes out, your connection will be gone.
Some service providers include backup batteries to ensure that your system continues to work even if your Wi-Fi goes down.
Cellular
A built-in chip in cellular monitoring delivers notifications to the monitoring center using the same signal that your phone uses to make calls and send texts.
It’s a trustworthy approach since it can’t be tampered with, and the signal is unlikely to go dead.
On the other hand, a cellular connection is generally the most expensive alternative, so it’s best if you choose this if you really need it and if you think it will come in handy for your house. Otherwise, it might be overly expensive.
Components of a Home Security System
Another deciding factor for a lot of people is the type of home security system equipment they require. There is an extensive range of options to choose from. Let’s take a look at them one by one:
- Security cameras: There are all sorts of cameras that you can buy. Wireless, wired, indoor, outdoor, infrared, HDR, voice, two-way talk, etc. The more features you choose, the more would be the price.
- Doorbell cameras: Many companies offer doorbell cameras which are good equipment to buy. Some doorbell cameras allow two-way talk, while some don’t.
- Sensors: There are all kinds of sensors that you can buy. Motion sensors, fire sensor, gas sensors, water leak sensors, doors and window sensors, glass break sensors, etc. Different home security companies may offer all or some of these. Choose the one that satisfies your requirement.
- Panic buttons: Some home security companies also offer panic buttons that directly alert the emergency team to help you out of dangerous situations. Many of you might want to consider getting this.
The Verdict
Home security is essential for every house, especially if you are living in a dangerous state or in a rural area where danger could lurk at any time, even when you are inside your home.
For this reason, you have to choose the best and the most suitable home security company for your budget, house size, needs, and any other things that could be beneficial to the security of your house.
However, there are many things to consider, from the requirements the companies need to the connections they can provide with their security system.
This process takes a lot of time to research and to come to a conclusion altogether, but it will definitely be worth it as choosing the right security company will always pay off, and it is a great investment.
Hope this article on How to Find a Suitable Home Security Company was helpful to you.
FAQ
How long should I search to find a suitable home security company?
This totally depends on your needs and how long you can afford to move around without a security system in your house.
If you already have a security system and you are thinking of changing it, you can search for as long as you would like and take a look at every company to find the most suitable company for your house security.
How to make sure that I find a suitable home security company?
If you are definitely sure about your needs and what you want to have with your security, then all you need to do is make sure that you can find a company that can accommodate all these needs or at least accommodates most of your needs to give you the best experience and highest security in your own standards.
For this, it is best if you follow through our guide to see what to look for or create a list and create a pros and cons list of every security company to make sure you don’t miss out on one and one of their specs when you are trying to make your decision for your home’s security.
Shefali Jain is a Content Editor & Writer at National Planning Cycles.
After completing her graduation in hospitality, Shefali decided to follow her passion and started writing. Shefali has been writing for two years now and contributes to our website as a skilled editor and content writer with strong research skills. Writing product and service reviews, biographies, and book reviews are some of her key areas, among many others in which she specializes.